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Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Nandi Hills trek

Last Sunday, we had a ton of exercise hiking up the Nandi Hills. Located near Bangalore, Nandi Hills is a hill station perfect for a day trip with family. It is home to many beautiful birds and critters. 
Here's a photo tour of our trek...


We drove to the Nandi Hills trekking start point located at the foothills....



There are many gorgeous vineyards along the foothills...



View from the foot hills...


The 8 Kms trekking trail is of moderate difficulty. Kids breeze through when grownups like me make heavy weather of the climb...


First bird of the day was a Red-whiskered Bulbul...


There's a splatter of hills around Nandi Hills. One prominent hill is Skandagiri which is a constant sight throughout the trek...



A female peninsular rock agama lizard...


A Puff-throated Warbler was busy foraging...


A breast feeding monkey...


Another view of Skandagiri hill...


The sight of a bunch of beautiful Alstroemeria or Peruvian lily refreshed us as we reached the top...





A mug of beer as the sun rises is also refreshing after a tiring hike...


An Oriental Magpie Robin flew in and posed for a long time...














Excellent camouflage of a Rock Agama lizard. Nearly impossible to spot...



Aechmea gamosepala or the match stick plant...


A rocky hill nearby...


A monkey snatched a coke bottle from someone...


 It tried to open the cap but couldn't...


It wondered if it can poke a hole at the bottom...



Those nasty looking teeth didn't help...


When Jimi was a wee lad he picked up broom and played it like a guitar. Our monkey may one day play guitar like Jimi Hendrix...


 I photoshopped a banjo in place of the bottle...



Spring flowers...








Greenish Warbler...



Spotted Dove...



View from top...


Indian Blue Robin is a migratory bird from the Himalayas of Nepal, India, Myanmar and Bangladesh. They winter in the hill forests of South India. Now that the winter is over, they will soon fly back...


Indian Blue Robin is considered one of the Old World flycatchers in the family Muscicapidae. Here you can see how its eyes light up on seeing a small fly...

























Red-whiskered Bulbul...



See how the Rock Agama lizard changes its face colour to match the orange spots on the rock...



Eumenes Dubius or potter wasp...


Show stoppers of the day were these three monkeys sleeping blissfully...


29 comments:

  1. Wonderful journey!! Thank you for sharring the photos with us :).
    Loved trio family in the end and the one with the puppy <3 the most.
    hugs
    happy WW

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  2. This post has a little of everything. Beautiful scenery and birds, plus the monkeys. They fascinate me. Happy Wednesday!

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  3. I loved that last monkey shot but the camouflaged lizard is a really impressive capture. Beautiful scenery! Thank you for linking up to #pointshoot 📷

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  4. Wow, such great shots! I don't even know where to start. You have true talent.

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  5. Thank you for sharing. Have a beautiful week!

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  6. Awesome photos from Nandi Hills.
    Greetings

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  7. Beautiful pics of the birds and critters.

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  8. I don't know when I've enjoyed a blog post more than this one. Except for the potter wasp, I didn't enjoy that! But the red-whiskered bulbul is beautiful, the peninsular rock agama lizard is amazing with its camouflage, the breast-feeding monkey is wonderful, the monkey with the cola is funny and even funnier with the banjo, the greenish warbler, the spotted dove, and the Indian Blue Robin are wonderful, but of course the sleeping monkeys steal the show!
    Kay
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  9. I thought the monkey with her baby was so sweet and then I got to the end photograph. What a sweet trio. The monkey with the coke has some scary teeth. Thank you for linking up today and always. Have a GREAT weekend.

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  10. Some of those rocky hills look like my local desert, but we sure don't have the variety of critters you have. Beautiful shots!

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  11. Stunning set of images. We have a cocker spaniel that can get the lid off of that coke bottle in under five minutes if the monkey needs any help.

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  12. It was a joy to look at your stunning photos! Aechmea gamosepala is gorgeous & the mother monkey with is baby so cute <3

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  13. Fantastic shots! And that poor monkey who couldn't taste its stolen beverage...!

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    Replies
    1. For this week, I send my thanks to you for sharing with us bird lovers at I'd Rather B Birdin'!

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  14. I love your walks and this one looks exceptional. I am totally fascinated by that lizard, he looks so hidden on the rock and then how his body knows to change with the different rocks is incredible. The plant life there loos unreal with spectacular colour and the same for the birds.

    Thank you for sharing such beauty on #CountryKids

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  15. Hello, Awesome captures of the monkeys and the lizards. The flowers are gorgeous. Beautiful Magpie and Robin. The scenery is beautiful too, great views. Wonderful post. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Thanks also for the comment. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!

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  16. Gorgeous nature photography ~

    do hope the monkey never figures out how to open the coke bottle ~ not good for any of us ~ especially animals ~ or was this edited photo? There was a movie The Gods Must Be Crazy ~ involving a Coca Cola bottle coming from the sky ~

    Namaste,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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    Replies
    1. Agree with you, cola is not good for anybody. Photo isn't edited. The monkey couldn't open it. I've seen that movie.

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  17. Wow that is the best walk I've been on in a long time, your photos are brilliant. I have so many favourites from the rock lizard, to the breast feeding monkey, to the little birds! Good job that coke lid was on tight for sure!
    Wren x

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  18. The wasp looks like it could give a painful sting. We have lots of yellow jackets in the summer. Love the sleeping monkey picture. - Margy

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  19. Wonderful captures from the winged to the mountain!

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  20. Loved the monkey with the coke bottles. You should send those shots to Coke. They would love it!

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  21. I love the photos of the monkeys - such nimble and curious creatures! All of your photos are great.
    Thanks for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2018/04/titanic-movie-costumes-on-display-at.html

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  22. A fun collection of photos! Thanks for sharing!

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  23. The shadows on the broad, tree-lined street are so soothing. Thanks for linking to Shadow Shot Sunday 2!

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  24. What a treat your post is, just all so amazing and wonderful to showcase some of the awesome creation.
    Kathleen
    Blogger's Pit Stop

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  25. Incredible visit! Every picture is beyond stunnng.

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  26. What spectacular views and the gorgeous birds. Just lovely!!

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